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“Got it.”
The elevator moved again, going down this time. George grimaced, but lucky for him, Greed managed to stop them on the fifty-fourth floor. This time, he double-checked before taking a step out, but the whole floor around them was real this time. It seemed they had arrived at the front desk of some company’s office, and Eden remembered Rolf had mentioned some floors were rented for such use too. They all left the elevator one by one. Just as the last of them got out, though, the screens of the elevator changed, visibly being tampered with.
“...Greed?”
“They have control of all the screens. I can’t do a thing.”
“How nice to meet you again, Eden,” suddenly said a voice in the speakers. “Oh, you’ve grown, child.”
Eden frowned, and turned to the elevator. A simplistic face was displayed there as if someone was talking using a white mask to cover their real face. Probably some strange filter, but it really made the whole thing creepier, especially as it had appeared on all three walls of the elevator.
“...Who are you?”
“I am the Governor,” chuckled the voice, “and an old friend of your dear father, the Architect.”
Eden’s blood went cold. She felt Dante grab her hand and pull her back, away from the elevator, but she barely reacted to it. She was more shocked to hear what that voice was saying.
“...What do you know about my dad?”
“Your dad and I were very close, child. After all, he was the Architect. The man who built, shaped, and gave life to our current way of life!”
“...You killed my father?”
“Me? Oh, I would have never. Your father was too precious of a colleague for me. And, I told you, we were friends.”
“...I don’t believe you.”
“I suspected you wouldn’t. After all, you spent quite some time away from us, didn’t you? Your little friends from the slums probably had all their time to give you some tragic narrative about how much of a villain the Core’s people are.”
“Not the Core’s people, only people like you. And it’s not a lie. I’ve witnessed it myself.”
“That aside, you didn’t get the childhood and upbringing you deserved. It truly saddens me to think of everything you could have achieved if you had inherited your father’s legacy properly. I’m sorry your poor mother’s dementia was what forced you to such a life.”
Her mother. Hearing her mentioned by this man made Eden even madder than before. She glared at the screen, taking one step forward.
“Don’t you dare talk about my mother,” she hissed. “Not after what you’ve done to her!”
“...What have we done? I’m afraid I don’t understand, Eden. We’ve been doing our best all along to take care of your poor mother. I wish we could have reunited you two sooner, but... things did end up so tragically, didn’t they.”
“...What?”
Suddenly, the screens of the elevator changed. Eden took another step forward, without thinking. She couldn’t believe her eyes. On the screens, a video surveillance of what looked somewhat like a hospital room was displayed. Everything was white, but in that room, a dark-haired woman was clearly noticeable. She was curled up in a corner, wearing some white hospital gown, visibly skinny and afraid. There were two women, looking like nurses, trying to talk to her, but that woman was curled up in a corner.
“...Your poor mother was so sad when you suddenly stopped calling her, Eden.”
“...You’re lying.”
“Oh, I’m not. Why would I? After all, your mother is alive, and with us. ...Just like you should be, Eden.”
“...Somebody check that video feed right away,” said Dante.
“We can’t,” immediately answered Nebty. “We’ve been trying since earlier, but we can’t even access the screens casting it. It’s one of their inner broadcast lines.”
“Keep trying anyway,” said Eden. “I want to know if that bastard’s lying to me.”
“...Bastard? That’s a bit rude, young lady,” chuckled the Governor.
“You’ll be less worried about my language when you see what else I can shoot at you, Governor. If my mom is truly alive and you do anything to her, I swear I will kill you.”
